Make today matter. Better yet, make this moment matter. Give every person, task, conversation and interaction your full, undivided attention. This is the approach of Professor Lindelani E. Mnguni, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria (UP).

“This moment is the only moment we have,” he says.

His view is not simply an endorsement of UP’s motto – it’s how he’s lived since childhood, having come from a “desperately poor” home in Mooi River, KwaZulu-Natal, where he walked an hour to school every day and an hour back. The effort was worth it. He earned a distinction for Grade 12 mathematics and was the only learner at his school to pass matric that year.

Prof Mnguni grew up knowing there was no time – and no opportunity ­– to waste.

“When you’ve been in that space, you know that every hour has to be used effectively,” he says.

About 20 years ago, he sat down to write a career plan for himself, from his undergraduate studies all the way to retirement. Thus far, he’s met every milestone within the envisaged timeframe.

“I wanted to complete my PhD by the age of 29, which I did. I became an associate professor in 2016 at the age of 33, a rated researcher in 2020 at 37 and a faculty dean at 41. I was a few months late with that one, but it was close enough,” says Prof Mnguni, who was appointed as Dean of Education on 1 January 2025.

“I started at UP as a lecturer in life sciences education in 2008,” adds Prof Mnguni, who completed a BSc in Biochemistry and Genetics, a BSc honours in Genetics and an MSc in Biochemistry before changing direction and doing a PhD in Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development.

Between leaving UP in 2013 and returning in late 2024, he held lecturing and management positions at the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg and University of South Africa – where, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to oversee the placement of tens of thousands of students into work-integrated learning, commonly known as teaching practice.

Now, back at UP, he has hit the ground running. His biggest priorities as Dean are to future-proof students by developing a curriculum that is fit for the next decade and beyond; steer the faculty towards becoming research-intensive; accelerate the development of emerging researchers; and support student development, success and wellness.

“Universities have structures to support students with mental health challenges, and I appreciate that,” Prof Mnguni says. “My question is: how can we prevent that problem or detect it earlier? Furthermore, what can we do to support their development as young people? What can we do to help them enjoy their youth while excelling academically? They are still young, mostly late teenagers – I hope we have not taken play away from them.”

On being future-fit, he says: “I am excited to say we have started the curriculum renewal process, as well as several projects on artificial intelligence and digital technologies in education across different departments. The idea is to ensure a curriculum that is fit for today and tomorrow.”

They are also focusing on emerging scholars.

“It takes a very long time to go from getting a PhD to becoming a professor, for various reasons,” Prof Mnguni explains. “One is support. I respect that development often comes with pain and suffering, but can we make it a little bit easier?”

With this in mind, the faculty has appointed a retired B-rated professor, Kobus Maree, to support emerging scholars who are writing for top international journals, among other things.

“The Faculty of Education has incredible research potential,” Prof Mnguni says. “More than 80% of our academics have PhDs and about 20% are rated by the National Research Foundation. By the time I finish my first term, we could easily have more than 35% that are rated. Our academics are capable. We just need to support them. There is a huge opportunity to make this faculty a leading and impactful faculty in the country and on the continent.”

First things first, however. He holds up the paperclip he keeps on his desk. It says, “Make today matter”.